The purples and blacks of the dimensional hole swirled lazily around Castle Bleck. Inside, the residents were just beginning to wake, most of them groaning and pulling the covers over their heads.

Always punctual, the blue-skinned, pink-haired, glasses-wearing secretary had already been up for about an hour or so. Being the first one up most days, Nastasia was in charge of making breakfast. Today, it was pancakes and plenty of fresh fruit.

Dimentio floated into the kitchen and took a seat at the round dining table. He shifted his chair loudly, hoping to startle Nastasia. Used to such pranks, she didn't jump but instead curtly said, "Good morning."

The magician rested his head on his hands and muttered a disappointed "good morning" back. He lifted his nose and took a deep breath, then turned to face Nastasia. "Are those pancakes I smell?" he inquired charmingly.

Nastasia nodded, causing a pleased grin to cross Dimentio's face.

"How delightful," he said. "As delicious and fluffy as a cloud crisped golden in the sun."

Nastasia turned from the stove and threateningly lowered her eyes over her glasses at him. "Don't you steal everybody else's pancakes again, or you're in for a lot of trouble, k?"

"Me? I would never," the magician replied with feigned innocence. The secretary hmph'd and went back to flipping pancakes.

Mimi and O'Chunks arrived, followed by Mr. L, who was stumbling around sleepily, only half awake. They sat down at their usual spots, taking in the delicious smell wafting through the air.

"'Eh Nassy, what ye cookin'? O'Chunks asked with a wide grin.

Beside him, Mimi cheerfully squealed, "It smells really yummy!"

In answer, Nastasia set down a huge plate of pancakes and a big pitcher of maple syrup in the middle of the table. She came back with a large bowl of cut up peaches, pears, bananas, strawberries, and blueberries. She professionally set out six clean plates for the six residents of Castle Bleck.

Nastasia saw their confusion at the lack of forks, spoons, or knives and said, "You'll have to find your own silverware. It's disappeared from the drawer and I keep finding them in the oddest places."

Nastasia, having already found her utensils, sat down and began to eat. Everybody else grumbled and got up to search.

Eventually, everyone had found their silverware in such places as the windowsills, inside the oven, on the top shelf of the refrigerator, underneath the toaster, inside a pot, and behind the coffeemaker.

Everyone except Mr. L that is, who had been a little too sleepy to search properly. "Aww man, now what am I going to eat with?" he complained as he sat back down. He brightened a bit, spotting a knife poking out of the flowers adorning the table.

He froze, however, when he noticed that the flowers were staring at him. Each flower had a large, angry-looking eye in the center of its petals.

"Ha-Have the flowers always been like that?" Mr. L asked, unnerved.

"Like what?" replied Nastasia, glancing over her newspaper.

"Ewewewewew! Gross! Somebody get rid of it now!" screamed Mimi.

Without missing a beat, O'Chunks lifted one giant fist and slammed it down, crushing the creepy flowers, vase and all. Everybody but Dimentio, who was too enthralled in his pancakes, jerked in surprise.

"Lot o' strange things this mornin,'" the Scotsman said as L carefully picked the somewhat bent knife out of the wreckage.

"I know, right? I found the cereal and crackers in the fridge," Mimi responded.

"And the milk and lunch meat were in the cupboard," added Mr. L, who was now carefully cutting his pancakes into small pieces and then eating them with his fingers.

The morning continued in companionable silence, until, quite suddenly, in the middle of his third helping, Dimentio's pancakes burst into flame. "Noooooo! My pancakes!" the jester cried out in anguish.

Everyone else hovered over their food protectively, startled and confused at the spontaneous combustion. The shocked magician sat in awed silence, watching the table begin to burn around his melting plate.

Nastasia calmly stood up, filled up a pitcher at the sink, and dumped it all over both the table and Dimentio himself. The fire was extinguished, but it wasn't water that had smothered the flames.

Dimentio quietly lifted a finger, dipped it in the mystery liquid, and tasted it. "Orange juice?" he questioned.

Mr. L barked out a laugh and O'Chunks got up and took his cup over to the sink. He flipped it on and orange juice did indeed pour from the faucet. "Huh. I was wondrin' where dat wen' to," the muscleman said after taking a big swig.

Dimentio slowly stood up, barely concealing his anger over his ruined breakfast and sticky clothing. "I'm going to go take a shower," he mumbled quietly and tonelessly. He teleported away, leaving a puddle of juice on the floor.

"Well, um, I guess the dishes aren't getting cleaned today," Nastasia said. "L, you are to fix this as soon as possible."

"What?! I'm a mechanic, not a plumber," the Green Thunder replied, a little outraged over the sudden additional work.

"Just do it, k?" she responded, a hand on her glasses.

"Okay, okay," Mr. L grumbled.

With that, everyone went to go complete their assigned chores and to do their daily training, the morning's oddities temporarily forgotten.